Tuesday, 29 April 2014

Wednesday, 9 April 2014

This frame displays the character of James standing in the therapeutic garden. The shot is taken from behind him to build mystery and suspense and to allow the audience to question the characters intentions and reasons for being in this location. the use of a medium-long shot shows the location and character to the intended amount. James body language is portrays him as confident (Feet shoulder width apart, standing straight). The mise-en-scene was of great importance to this shot. The costume James is wearing conveys him as both wealthy but also quite unorganized. I used the rule of thirds to bring the attention to James in this shot. The 'greenish' colour scheme juxtapositions with the characters state of mind as it shows a relaxing, calm environment. I brought up the contrast and lowered the brightness in this shot.

This shot allows the audience to align with James in a way. Again, i used the rule of thirds to show the importance of James. At this point, it should be clear that James is the most important character within the narrative. The use of sunglasses and costume still creates a sense of suspense as the audience aren't fully aware of the characters facial expressions and intentions. The high contrast and brightness in this shot aims to dehumanize James.

This key frame initiates the first scene change. The frame focuses on the number '13' on James bedroom door. Not only is number 13 known to be 'unlucky' but it was a strong theme in several of Hitchcock;s films. The composition of this shot shows the focus is on the number '13'. This show uses the audience as a voyeur as it is almost like they are entering James's bedroom. The two lines situated on the edge of the door make the shot look more artistic. I made the contrast a lot higher and lowered the brightness on this shot to show a prediction of the dark mood in the next frame.

This shot is taken from outside the bedroom, using the audience as a voyeur. It focuses on James as he sits on his bed. The basic location makes it clear James is in a mental hospital. The neutral colors contrast with James's state of mind as he sits there deep in thought. His hands are gripped tightly on his knees and he is looking directly into one spot, it is clear there is something on his mind. I lowered the brightness in this shot to make it look realistic towards a patients bedroom. The main light source for this shot is the window above the radiator, reflecting onto James, making him the main focus point. As the shot is taken from outside the room, a sense of mystery is created as the view of the bedroom is limited. James is seen as no more than just an ordinary person in an extraordinary situation in this shot, making him a likeable criminal. I used a mid-long shot to make the location and character clear.

This shot introduces the next character. The use of costume and props shows she is clearly a nurse. James doesn't break eye contact from the spot he was looking at during the whole shot. Despite the nurse's job giving her dominance, James's lack of attention towards her still makes him the more powerful character. She talks to him and wants the attention from him. This shot is also taken from outside the bedroom, using the audience as a voyeur.The fact that the nurse is blonde is influenced by the theme of blonde women in Hitchcock films. The blue in the nurses uniform contrast heavily with the neutral colors in James's bedroom. The nurse is confident and motherly towards James.

This frame is the next location change. It shows James as a child in a flash back. The flashback is clear as the child is wearing similar clothes to James in previous shots and has his hair styled the same. The appearance is also similar. The lighting in this shot it bright and quite highly contrasted to convey a flashback. I didn't want make this to extreme as i felt it would look unrealistic and of low standard. The neutral colors are also present in this scene. Trains is a theme used in many Hitchcock themes, James looks deeply intrigued by the game which is unusual for a child of his age. His body language here contrasts with him body language in previous scenes where he is scene as authoritative and powerful. After this shot, James gets up and sits at the table behind him.

This shot shows a blonde women giving James his lunch, he looks directly at it. It is clear to the audience that the women is James's mother through her body language, appearance and role. The bright light behind the characters makes the scene look more surreal and like a flashback. The props in this scene show the time period is earlier than than in previous shots, making it clearer that the small boy is James. The relationship between the characters is also quite clear, it appears that the mother is trying to be caring and motherly, it also shows that James relies on his mother a lot at this stage. James looks unimpressed. The emotions of the characters contrast to a great extent. The theme of 'the double' in hitchcock films is present in this shot as the same actress is used for the mother and the nurse.

This shot shows only James as he looks into the sandwich to find tomatoes. He appears very annoyed. This shot build suspense as it makes the audience question why he is annoyed. I used a close up on James's face as it is the best shot type to convey emotion. This shot is less exposed as i felt too high exposure would make it look unrealistic.

This shot shows James after he returned from the flashback. His body language has changed and it is clear he is angry. He throws the medication tray across the room, almost proving he is angry at the nurse. This is the point in which James makes the connection between his mother and the nurse. I lowered the brightness in this shot to make it more intense and brought up the exposure.

This frame shows James watching the nurse making a sandwich. He stands behind a wall so she cannot see him. This positions the audience as a voyeur as they are also watching from the same position. I used a pull focus to blur James slightly, making the focus mainly on the nurse. The blue/green colour theme gives the frame a 'thriller' appearance. It also represents James as emotionless. Suspense is built as the audience don't know what James is going to do. This shot aligns the audience directly with James, making his intentions more understanding and therefore acceptable, conveying him as a likeable criminal.The props in this shot show the location is the staff kitchen.

This shot shows James picking up the knife the nurse used to make her
lunch with after she has left. He is walking towards her direction, this
shows she is in great danger. I used a mid-long shot to show the knife
in James's hand as well as the emotion on his face. He looks like he is
in deep thought but also looks quite content and calm. The knife is
pointed in the direction of the nurse. I used the rule of thirds in this
shot. A crooked smile is spreading across James's face, again letting the audience see him as a likeable criminal;/ This shot also represents the theme of 'Food and Death'. This shot is dimly lit to show James as psychotic and dangerous.

The nurse is back in this shot. James is following her down the stairs but she is unaware of this as she is several steps in front of him. James is looking directly at her, showing that she is in danger. The fact that he is higher on the staircase automatically makes him more dominant and powerful. The knife is still pointed at the nurse. The rule of thirds makes it clear that James and the nurse are the main focus points in this shot. The lighting is also quite dim in this shot to create a mood and the exposure is high.

This shot shows the point in time where the nurse realizes she isn't alone. I used a mid-long shot as allows the audience to see the situation as well at the emotion on the nurses face. At this point she looks both worried and concerned. The composition aligns the knife with the food showing the theme of 'food and death'. The contrast in this shot is high and the lighting is low. The main light source is from behind both characters, making the focus point on them.

This shot shows a close up on James holding the knife. The pull focus allows the audience to see a blurred version of the nurse in the distance but mainly focuses on James. The colors in this shot contrast, making it more dramatic and stylistic. This shot is taken from behind James, aligning the audience with him again.This shot relates to the theme of 'staircases' and 'falling from high places'. The simplicity of this shot makes it more effective.

This shot captures the relationship between James and the nurse. Whilst he show no emotion in his face, she look petrified. His height and the fact he is standing higher up on the staircase makes him the dominant, masculine character whilst the nurse is seen as weak and feminine. At this point, James motives are finally clear. Despite them being so brutal, the audience accept it due to being aligned with him for most of the narrative.

This frame shows the nurse laying in a pool of her own blood at the bottom of the staircase, relating back to the theme of 'falling from high places'. The composition dehumanizes her. The redness of the blood and the white uniform contrast greatly and also connects to the tomatoes and bread in the sandwich (using the theme of 'food and death'. The shot is dimly lit and highly contrasted to show focus on the blood.

James is wiping the blood covered knife in this shot. He is back in the location in which the nurse was making the sandwich. The blood is visible on the knife and towel, again the redness contrasts with the white towel. James's face isn't visible in this shot as the focus needed to be on the knife. The shot is very dimly lit and the contrast is very high. Again the blue/green coloring conveys James as emotionless. The angle of this shot shows James as powerful and in control, which are very masculine traits. The fact that you cannot see his face in this shot portrays him as inhuman.

This shot relates back to key frame 8 when he sees his mother put tomatoes in his sandwich. He pulls the exact same face in this shot as he proceeds to remove them. He looks both angry and annoyed. The fact that James seems more effected by the tomatoes than the fact he just killed a women portrays him as psychotic and inhuman. The lighting is low in this shot to create a mood and put the audience in the same state of mind. The contrast is also high.

This shot shows James cutting the sandwich into 4 triangles, like his mother used to, using the same knife he murdered the nurse with. The shadowing puts the focus on the sandwich. Blood is still visible on the edge of the knife. This shows the theme of 'food and death'.

This shot shows James sat down, looking directly at the sandwich as he proceeds to eat it. This shows the theme of 'food and death' too. It also relates back to the flashback as a child. The shadowing and composition in this shot brings the focus on James too. James finally looks content. The lighting in this shot is darkened a lot to create suspense.